The Velvet Underground
, Nico

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Amoeba Review

10/29/2012

The 45th Anniversary Edition of The Velvet Underground & Nico presents the legendary album both in mono and stereo form, with mono still hitting like a ton of bricks 45 years alter and stereo allowing for some of those curling riffs and other details to emerge from the din. Both listening experiences have their merits, as listeners and critics have had years to compare the two. But this edition also adds alternate takes, such as a single-voiced “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” in which Nico’s atonal call comes out even clearer like a church bell, missing the eerie doubled vocal that marks the original. “European Son” comes in a longer version that seems twangier than the original. “Heroin” has an even rawer version, while an alternate mix of “I’ll Be Your Mirror” drops some of the reverb from Nico’s voice, highlighting the song’s radio-ready quality that is somewhat obscured in the original. Mono single versions of several songs serve to trim off some of the songs’ eccentricities. A remastered version of Nico’s Chelsea Girl makes the stark album sound louder and fuller on the set’s third disc. The fourth disc includes a session recorded at Scepter Studios that sees small variations on the originals, and includes outtakes and rehearsals as well. The fifth and sixth disc consist of a set performed at the Valleydale Ballroom in Columbus, Ohio, starting off with a nearly half-hour version of rarity “Melody’s Laughter,” full of eviscerating noise, and ending with another half-hour rarity, “The Nothing Song.” Whereas with nearly every other band, studio outtakes and live sessions wouldn’t be much to crow about, with the Velvet Underground there’s so much that’s indispensible even from outtakes that every bit of recorded sound from the band’s short run deserves to be heard, if not pored over. For fans of the band, a set like this presents the most complete way to experience one of the best and most important albums of our era.